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Monosodium Glutamate

Monosodium Glutamate

Chapter:

(p.159)
5 Monosodium Glutamate

Source:

Dubious Gastronomy

Author(s):

Robert Ji-Song Ku

Publisher:

University of Hawai'i Press

DOI:10.21313/hawaii/9780824839215.003.0006

This chapter discusses monosodium glutamate (MSG), a dubious chemical food additive found in a variety of Chinese foods. It first considers the rap against MSG and the resulting “No MSG” disclaimer found in foods offered at restaurants and in grocery store items. It then revisits the ad war between soup manufacturers Campbell's and Progresso over MSG and goes on to trace the history of MSG, focusing on Japanese chemist Kikunae Ikeda's discovery of the so-called umami taste and the official launch of MSG as a commercial product in the form of Ajinomoto on May 20, 1909. The chapter also provides an overview of food additives and the escalation of flavor enhancers in the U.S. food supply. Finally, it examines the Chinese restaurant syndrome and the reasons why only Chinese restaurants were blamed for the supposedly toxic effects of MSG.

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PRINTED FROM HAWAII SCHOLARSHIP ONLINE (www.hawaii.universitypressscholarship.com). (c) Copyright Hawaii University Press, 2018. All Rights Reserved. Under the terms of the licence agreement, an individual user may print out a PDF of a single chapter of a monograph in HSO for personal use (for details see www.universitypressscholarship.com/page/privacy-policy).date: 19 November 2018